Boat propelling pole



April 9, 1957 G. E. SNODGRASS 2,737,795

BOAT PROPELLING POLE Filed June 26 1953 3nvevitor George E. SnodgraSs WHITEHEAD a VOGL PER 6M attorneys all?" 2,787,795 BQAT PROPELLING POLE George E. Snotlgrass, Denver, Colo. Application June 26, 1953, Serial No. 364,305 6 Claims. (Cl. 9-24) This invention relates to poles and similar equipment for pushing or punting a boat through shallow water, the primary object of the invention being to provide an improved construction of a pole which is especially adapted for punting a boat through rice fields and the like.

In the United States and Canada there exist immense game reserve areas formed by shallow ponds and river beds wherein fields of wild rice grow in abundance and in season become hunting grounds for ducks and geese.

Propelling boats in these areas with oars or propellers is difficult and also will cut and damage the wild rice. Because of this it is often required by the game laws or policing authorities that the boats be moved only by a punting or poling operation to preserve the rice. Often when poling a boat through such flats the soft mud will yield and cause the pole to stick and considerable difiiculty in moving the boat is encountered. Because of these factors the present invention was conceived and developed and comprises an improved form of punting pole especially adapted to push a boat through wild rice fields.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an improved punting pole which: (a) is adapted to be used to propel a boat by pushing against rice and similar plants without damaging the plants, (b) eliminates the necessity for pushing the pole against the bottom of the pond or river bed and avoids the problem of polesticking in soft mud, may be used to push a boat through tulies and other plant growths in places where it would be difiicult or impossible to use oars or an ordinary punting pole, (d) includes in one form a construction which may be used as an oar as well as a pole, (e) is a simple, rugged, durable and inexpensive unit.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, all of which more fully hereinafter appear, my invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts and elements as hereinafter described and as defined in the appended claims and illustrated, in preferred embodiment, in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a sketch depicting a man propelling a flatbottomed boat through a rice field with my improved punting pole.

Figure 2 is an elevation view of the head of my pole with only a fragmentary portion of the handle being shown to save space.

Figure 3 is a section as viewed from the indicated line 3-3 at Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section as viewed from the indicated line 4-4 at Figure 2 but on an enlarged scale.

Figure 5 shows the underside of the head as viewed from the indicated arrow 5 at Figure 2.

Figure 6 is an elevation similar to Figure 2 but showing an alternate construction thereof.

Referring in detail to the drawing, my improved pole is formed by a handle 10 of any suitable length having a forked head 11 at one end thereof. When this pole is used to propel a boat through a rice field, the forked head 11 is pushed into a mass of rice plants and gathers a bunch of such plants in the throat of the fork and there act as an abutment against which the pole may be pushed to propel the boat without cutting 7 off the plants.

The head 11 is formed about a ferrule 12 having a 2,787,795 Patented Apr. 9, 1957 ice suitable recess 12a for receiving the end of the handle, and any conventional means such as pin 13 may be used to fasten the ferrule to the handle. Two of arms 14 extend outwardly and downwardly from opposite sides of the ferrule to provide the forked construction of the head which is adapted to gather, and concentrate into a clump or group, rice plants or the like and the size of the clump or group will depend upon the extent and span of the arms 14.

When this head engages the rice plants, they are gathered together in a clump at the throat or saddle portion of the crotch 15 at the ferrule 12. To minimize the danger of cutting the rice plants at this crotch, the inner side of the arms 14 at and approaching the throat is widened by a flange 16 which may have its underside rounded or formed in any suitable manner to accommodate and provide a minimum disturbance to the plants against which the pole is pushed.

The arms 14 may be relatively thin members having their ends inwardly rounded as at 17 to provide as smooth an action as possible when being pushed against rice plants, and in an alternate construction, as illustrated at Figure 6, the extended portion of each arm 14' is flattened and enlarged to form a paddle-face 18 and With such enlarged faces the pole is ideally suited for use as an oar or paddle whenever the boat moves into water Where there are no plants to push against.

While I have described a preferred construction of my punting pole, it is obvious that alternatives and equiv alent arrangements can be devised by those skilled in the art which are within the scope and spirit of my invention. Hence, it is my desire that my protection be limited, not by the details of construction herein illustrated, but only by the proper scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A punting pole for pushing a boat through waters having vegetable growths such as Wild rice, including a handle and a head attached to one end of the handle, said head having a pair of rigid arms forkedly extending from the end of the pole in the same plane but in symmetrical opposition and adapted to embrace and gather into a clump a plurality of plants as said forked end is pushed against the plants.

2. The pole defined in claim 1 wherein the inner edges of the forked arms are widened transversely of said plane to provide a flattened surface and thereby reduce danger of damaging the plants.

3. The pole defined in claim 1 wherein the arms are widened in said plane to provide paddle faces.

4. A head for a punting pole, adapted to push a boat through water having vegetable growths such as wild rice, including a ferrule adapted to be attached to the end of the pole and a pair of rigid arms extending from opposite sides of the ferrule in a common plane outwardly and longitudinally beyond the end of the ferrule and being spread apart and thereby adapted to engage and gather together a plurality of plants as the head is pushed against the plants.

5. The head defined in claim 4 including a flanged section across the end of the ferrule and in the crotch of the arms and transversely to said plane and being adapted to bear against the stems of gathered plants.

6. The head defined in claim 4 wherein the arms extend outwardly beyond the end of the ferrule and are widened at their outer portions along said plane to form paddles.

Schilling Jan. 19, 1909 Brodie Aug. 18, 1942 

